RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Whither goest DOS?

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Fitch R. Williams [mailto:frwillia@...]
> I guess, just like the auto industry
>which required a law to support cars for as long as 7 years, we need a
>SW support law also.

This all depends on what you count as "support" for DOS. When was the last time
MS gave you a fix for a DOS problem rather than forcing you to upgrade to a new
one?
The analogy to cars is not a very good one.
Cars wear out through use and become unsafe, and it is in the general public
interest to ensure that repair parts are at least available.
Software does *not* wear out, and because DOS does not propel motorized
projectiles on public streets, "broken" software is considered to be a hazard
only to its user (in general).
Generally, a computer system becomes "broken" and needs software support when
more software has been added, and I do not believe that mandated 7-year support
for automobiles covers the case where the after-market espresso machine causes
the wiring to melt down.

In my day job, I'm a developer of a (non-real-time) Windows application.
I would estimate that over half of our customer service calls are at least
indirectly related to the non-NT Windows product line's inability to provide
adequate separation between apps and the system. Someone else's program steps on
memory somewhere wild, and three hours later our program gets an error, and we
get a call. Last fall, we were getting floating point exceptions because an HP
printer driver happened to be sending data to the printer while our app was
running!

Frankly, I will be dancing in the clouds when MS finally stops supporting that
library-cum-virus-cum-"operating environment" that passes for an "operating
system", i.e. Windows 2, 3, 3.1, WFW 3.11, Win95, Win95 OSR2, Win98, and Win ME.
It is unfortunate that some form of DOS does not remain available as a remnant.
I think most of us here would be happy if we could buy a DOS license on a
completely-unsupported basis...
-Kevin